


The Perils of Sparkly Toenails (Or, the Four Times that Alec was Suspicious)

by WeWalkADifferentPath



Series: Life's Many Perils [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: AU where Alec is human, Fluff, Humour, Insecure Magnus Bane, M/M, Magnus is shameless, Peru?, and doesn't know about Magnus's magic, confused af Alec Lightwood, ineffective lawnchairs, literally kind of quirky fluff with a little angst near the end but this is pretty light my dudes, magical toenails, yup that's it really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 17:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11833503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeWalkADifferentPath/pseuds/WeWalkADifferentPath
Summary: The first time Alec was suspicious, it was inconspicuous.





	The Perils of Sparkly Toenails (Or, the Four Times that Alec was Suspicious)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sebtea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebtea/gifts).



> Hey all, so this is dedicated to my friend who I've recently dragged into the fandom (she just wrote her own first SH fic, so you should totally check it out!).
> 
> This is also the first serious fic that I ever wrote (ie., more than practically plagiarized, private drabble) and the first one I ever showed anybody else, but it's been sitting on my computer since. Please keep in mind that it is my early writing, and I did edit it quickly, but I can't stand to sit on it anymore so here you go :)

** The first time Alec was suspicious ** , it was inconspicuous.  
  
He and Magnus were settling in to camp, both of them worn out and exhausted. It was their second week in the Peruvian rainforest, where they'd decided to venture to together for an extended vacation after only their fourth date.  
  
Which meant that it was the second week into the craziest thing Alec Lightwood had ever agreed to in his twenty-three years of life. And he was having a _blast_.  
  
Alec was in his element in the forest. He had been worried about Magnus, however, who didn’t seem like the type to sit in a backyard barbeque, let alone agree to a trip like this. But it had actually been Magnus's idea; Alec had mentioned that he had always wanted to go to Peru, and somewhere between then and now Magnus’s enthusiasm had tackled Alec right into his first big adventure.  
  
Magnus seemed surprisingly in his element, too. Despite the tough accommodations and weather, he always managed to look surprisingly put together and upbeat, and even complained cheerfully (something Alec could not credit himself for). It was also good bonding time for the two of them, as they’d been given essentially a crash course in spending one on one time with your partner.  
  
 All in all, it had been a pretty wonderful experience so far.  
  
… Except for today.  
  
They had woken up with the sun that morning, bright and early, and Alec had whipped together a breakfast using supplies from their backpacks. Whipped _together_ , instead of whipped _up_ because the latter would imply actual cooking equipment, which they did not have. It was the third day into the deep-forest part of the exertion, which meant leaving behind the luxury of tiny tourist cottages, hostels, and couch surfing, for, well, the deep forest.  
  
Alec had pulled out his map to start laying everything out, double and triple checking their route.  
  
Or rather, that had been his _plan_ , before a certain smirking someone had peeked over his shoulder in a not-exactly-unwelcome interruption. Suffice to say, they'd ended up spending the morning in a much more _engaging_ way.  
  
But as was the way of the world, they had paid for their morning romp. Their payment turned out to be getting incredibly lost. Apparently even the _weather_ had decided to spite them, and it had stormed unlike Alec had ever seen before, drenching them and their supplies to the bone.  
  
They had finally arrived at their mid-point destination, a little shelter designed by one of the people who had come before them. It was small, and more than a little rickety, which Alec normally wouldn’t even blink at.  
  
But now, cold and wet and exhausted after more than eight consecutive hours of walking, he looked at the little lean-to with hatred burning behind his eyes.  
  
“Oh son of the devil, thank fuck,” Magnus exclaimed, falling into an unstable looking pull-out chair next to him. “I was beginning to think that we'd never reach shelter.”  
  
Alec grimaced. “Yeah, well, if you had just listened to the route that I _said_ , we would have reached this over an hour ago.”  
  
Magnus shrugged, not dissuaded by Alec's gruff attitude. “Well, at least we'll have a story to tell after this. You know how I love a compelling story.”  
  
Alec sighed, gritting his teeth. He liked Magnus, he _really_ did, but right now he just couldn't deal. “Since when are you even the outdoorsy type, anyways?' he finally snapped. “Your stories usually involve at least a little more glamour and a hell of a lot more alcohol.”  
  
Magnus feigned shock, throwing his hand over his chest. “Alexander, you offend me. You make me sound like an alcoholic.”  
  
“Yeah, well” Alec muttered, “maybe you are one. And a sexaholic too, while we're at it.”  
  
Magnus winked. “We could be _at it_ again as soon as you'd like, my love.”  
  
Alec rolled his eyes but smirked, the tension already dissipating. “Have you seen me? I look like a wreck.” He gestured down at his soaked, mucky outfit, and up at what was most likely an incredibly mussed, wet mop of hair on the top of his head.  
  
“Oh relax, you’re fine. In fact, this woodsy look does wonders for you.”  
  
Alec glanced Magnus over appraisingly, before realization dawned on him. “Wait a minute, why don't you look as wrecked as I do? Your hair isn't even wet.”  
  
Magnus smiled, but there was something odd glinting in his eyes that Alec couldn’t read. “My hair is shorter than yours, Alexander.”  
  
“Yeah, okay, but like... did you even _pack_ that shirt? I didn't see you bring it.”  
  
Magnus got up, moving lithely over to where Alec stood with his arms crossed. “You like it?”  
  
Magnus fingered the material of his shirt, a flowing purple silk _(seriously, who wears silk to the deep-woods?)_ and leaned over to whisper in Alec's ear, all hot breath and stroking hands. “You'd probably like it better off, though, wouldn't you?”  
  
Alec- successfully distracted but not dissuaded- snorted. “Yeah, maybe later Magnus. Like, after a shower, a meal, and twenty consecutive hours of REM sleep.”  
  
Magnus laughed and sent Alec another coy wink. “Oh, yousay that now, but my charms will win you over.”  
  
“Yeah, right” Alec huffed. He’d never been more exhausted in his life; Magnus was extremely charming, but there wasn’t enough charm in the world to win him over right now.  
  
Less than two hours later, however, Magnus proved himself right as Alec slipped his way into the lean-to with nothing more than a blush and a determined glint in his eyes.  
  
Suffice to say, the day ended _much better_ than it had started. Alec forgot all about Magnus's perfectly styled hair and surprisingly silk blouse, since none of that lasted very long, anyways.  
  
\---  
  
  
**The second time Alec was suspicious** , it was _not_ inconspicuous.  
  
“What are you wearing?” Alec asked, staring at Magnus with his eyebrows in his hairline.  
  
Magnus had just walked out of their little tent, ready to leave for the day, in heeled peter-pan boots and with red streaks in his hair. “And how did you get your hair like that?”  
  
“Like what?” Magnus batted his eyelashes innocently, but Alec could see a grin forming on the edge of his lips.  
  
“Like- what do you mean _like what_? Like that!” He gestured up to Magnus's hair, then back down to his shoes, completely incredulous. “Where did those shoes come from? We don't even- you didn't- there wasn't even room in your bag for those!”  
  
Magnus let his grin widen. “Alexander, dear, can't a budding relationship have a little mystery? Besides, are you really complaining?”  
  
Alec _wasn't_ complaining, exactly.  
  
Magnus did look ridiculously attractive, and as perfectly put together as he’d been since the day Alec had met him. But, well, he wasn't _supposed_ to, was he? Not after weeks in the middle of the rainforest.  
  
Normal people didn't look that good on a regular basis; surely not after a harrowing tour in the wilderness... Alec was seriously beginning to wonder if Magnus was superhuman.  
  
Actually, now that Alec thought about it, Magnus never really _did_ falter in anything, did he? Even the one time that Alec had shown up over twenty-five minutes early for a date- stumbling out an apology about never being too careful with public transportation- Magnus had just opened the door with a flourish (from across the room somehow, Alec could have _sworn_ ) and thrown a “Lovely to see you, Alexander. Make yourself comfortable” over his shoulder before retreating into the bathroom.  
  
And less than three minutes later, Magnus had come out, fully dressed with his hair and make-up done, which Alec had been quite sure wasn't done before. He even had his jewellery on.  
  
Alec had been too nervous at the time to wonder why he kept all of his jewellery in his _hallway bathroom_ of all places.  
  
To make matters more confusing- or impressive, Alec wasn't sure at this point- he was pretty certain that he'd heard a toilet flush in there somewhere, too. Unless Magnus was the king of multitasking, then he must be a master of witch-craft or something.  
  
And that's the way it had been every time they were together since then. Well, all four times, along with all of their other little encounters, including the first time they'd met. (Alec had been texting and jaywalking at the same time, and Magnus had literally saved him in a dazzling move of heroics from an oncoming cab.  
  
Alec had gotten up, ready to bite out a stiff thank you to the unlucky soul who had jumped him, but had been rendered speechless by the most stunning man he'd ever met. Who, now that he’s thought about it, hadn't even looked rumpled after literally jumping in front of a moving vehicle).  
  
There were other things, too.  
  
When Alec went over to his place Magnus would suggest take-out for dinner. But the two times they had ordered, Magnus had exited the room to make the call. On both occasions, the food showed up a miraculous six minutes later, and Alec had never actually seen the delivery guy when he came, always sitting strategically out of view. Alec had just assumed that Magnus had friends in the right places. And that Magnus had, well, wanted to look like he was alone for some reason.  
  
But now...  
  
Alec shook his head, dismissing his thoughts quickly. Here he was, in the heart of Peru, with an admittedly inhumanly gorgeous man standing in front of him, and he was thinking about _conspiracy theories_.  
  
Like some kind of nerd.  
  
Like _Simon_ , he thought bitterly. And that was unacceptable.  
  
“Oh, uh, yes. I mean, no. I'm not complaining” Alec stuttered out, trying to swim his mental way back to reality. “You look great.”  
  
_Which is highly suspicious,_ he was tempted to add. But he didn't.  
  
Magnus beamed, and Alec grabbed his hand, and they both took off for the next part of their adventure.  
  
(And if Alec thought about witch-craft or superpowers that night in bed, no one but him would have to know).  
  
\---  
  
  
**The third time Alec was suspicious** , Magnus gave him some answers. _Some._  
  
“You know, Alexander, if you're cold, you could always use those manly arms of yours to chop down some trees for us. It would be quite romantic to have a fire.”  
  
Alec snorted. “I'm not even sure it's legal to cut down these trees. Besides,” he added, feeling brave, “I can think of other things that I can do with my hands to keep us warm...”  
  
Magnus's face lit up. “Alexander, are you flirting? Come here then, before the sexual tension gets to be too much.”  
  
Magnus made decidedly unsexy (but cute) grabby hands at Alec, and Alec smirked. “What if I was thinking about dragging the tension out just a little bit longer?”  
  
Magnus shivered, putting the back of his hand over his forehead in a deliberately dramatic rendition of an old romance novel leading lady. “Take me now.”  
  
Alec grinned, leaning forward over where Magnus sat in the chair. He took his time, trailing his eyes over his body admiringly, letting his breath ghost over Magnus’s lips.  
  
Slowly, slowly, until their lips were almost touching...  
  
And then he took Magnus's sock off.  
  
Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. “You know, when you said that you wanted to stretch out the tension, I didn't think-”  
  
“Shh” Alec chastised, pulling off Magnus's other sock. “I thought I could give you a foot massage. I'm sure your feet are sore after walking in those impractical shoes all day.”  
  
Magnus made a face. “As nice as that sounds Alexander, you don't… this isn't you coming out with a foot kink, is it?”  
  
Alec rolled his eyes. “Not a chance. I just wanted to make you feel good, and relaxed. Is that- is that okay?” He felt suddenly shy. It's not like he'd never given foot massages before- he had, many times, to his unruly and demanding siblings- but he'd never offered or been offered one by a romantic partner before.  
  
Not that he'd ever _had_ a romantic partner. Not before Magnus.  
  
Magnus's eyes softened, and he smiled gently. “Of course it's okay, love. It's more than okay. Thank you for thinking of me.”  
  
Alec nodded, and sank down to his knees (earning an impressive eyebrow wiggle from Magnus) before getting to work.  
  
He plucked up Magnus's left foot first, about to start rubbing when-  
  
_Wait, what?_  
  
No, that couldn't- there couldn't be-  
  
Alec shook his head and wiped at his eyes, trying to clear his vision.  
  
“Is that...” he could hardly say it, because of how ridiculous it would surely sound out loud. But it wasn't fading from his vision despite what he was trying, and he _had_ to know.  
  
“Is that _nail polish_?”  
  
Magnus looked genuinely startled. “Oh, uhm…” he looked down at his own feet, as if he needed visual confirmation. “Yes, I suppose it is.”  
  
It was. Bright gold nail polish, flawlessly applied. It even had little sparkles on the big toes, as if Magnus had layered the gold with another polish just for that purpose.  
  
Gold nail polish. Perfectly applied.  
  
In the middle of the Peruvian rainforest. After _three weeks_ of walking.  
  
Alec wasn't an expert on nail polish, but he knew enough, and he was quite certain that there was no possible way that any nail polish Magnus had put on before the trip would have lasted this long. So that meant...  
  
Alec sat back, baffled. “How did you- did you pack that? No, never mind, I know you didn't pack that, since you didn't mention it when you were asking about airport security.”  
  
It was funny, actually: Magnus had suddenly turned uncharacteristically anxious when confronted with packing for the trip. He'd looked up all of the rules and restrictions online, and peppered Alec with questions about everything from security regulations ( _Can I bring my razor? A man needs to keep up his standards_ ) to aeroplane engineering ( _but what happens if something_ breaks _, Alexander?_ ).  
  
Alec had answered all of them good-naturedly (maybe he was a _bit_ of a nerd), but by the end, he'd had an entire mental inventory of all of the things that Magnus had packed. And all of the things that Magnus _hadn't_ packed.  
  
Which is what had made the peter-pan shoes so surprising. But this...  
  
Magnus would have never slipped in a liquid without consulting Alec first.  
  
Magnus looked guilty, but he tipped his head up defiantly. “Maybe I just didn't tell you about it.”  
  
“No” Alec shook his head, certain he was right on this. “Did you find a place to buy it in town earlier or something?”  
  
Magnus didn't say anything, and Alec knew that to be a no.  
  
Alec stared at the toenails again, wheels turning. “Did you magic the damn things gold?”  
  
He’d meant it to be a joke, mostly. But Magnus promptly choked on his drink, and, in a very un-Magus move, literally _toppled backward_ out of his chair with a squeal.  
  
Alec looked over at the sprawled form of his romantic partner lying on the dirt, and was suddenly _beyond_ suspicious.  
  
That was a distinctly un-Magnus move. Something had made him lose his cool like that  
  
 Alec wanted to know what it was.  
  
“What the-” Magnus sputtered, sitting up ungracefully. He frowned at the precious drops of Sprite spilling down the front of his shirt. “Well, that was rather unfortunate.”  
  
Alec glared at him. “What aren't you telling me?”  
  
Magnus let loose a long-suffering sigh. “At least help a man up before you interrogate him, Alexander. It's the gentlemanly thing to do.”  
  
Alec grumpily complied, extending a hand to help Magnus, who he knew was perfectly capable of fluidly righting himself on his own.  
  
Or at least, he normally was. This Magnus was a little unsteady.  
  
Alec raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Magnus. “There, you're up. You're also hiding something from me. All I asked was if you magicked the gold nail polish on, and you lost it complet-”  
  
Magnus sighed. “Ah shit” he mumbled under his breath, so quiet that Alec almost didn't hear him.  
  
“What? What it is it? The magic thing?”  
  
“This is just _great!_ ” Magnus complained, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Just what I needed. Now Ragnor's gonna kill me- shit!”  
  
By now Magnus was pacing, running his hands through his hair as he mumbled to himself, seemingly oblivious to Alec still standing there dumbfounded.  
  
“Ragnor! I knew I shouldn’t have made that stupid bet. Now I'm going to have to pay for his damn coffee every November for the next eleven decades. He's British, for fuck's sake, he doesn't even like coffee, the bastard. But he'll order a car's worth every November for all eleven decades, I just know it.”  
  
“Uh,” Alec started, unsure if he should be interrupting this. “Eleven decades? What are you-?”  
  
“Yeah, eleven, can you believe that?” Magnus waved his hand dismissively, still not looking at Alec. “You know, because November is the eleventh month, so he thought eleven decades seemed suiting. Stupid sentimental old Warlock.”  
  
Alec felt lightheaded, and the woods seemed to be spinning where he was quite sure they hadn't been before. “Magnus, are you-are you alright?” The question came out like an apology, but it was an honest one. He'd never seen Magnus quite so… animated.  
  
Magnus suddenly snapped up his gaze to look at him, as if he was just now noticing that Alec was still there. “Ah, sure. Well not entirely, but no matter. Now what to do with you? A memory spell is too risky...”  
  
Alec felt himself choke. “A- a what now?”  
  
Magnus narrowed his eyes at him. “A memory spell. To make you forget what just happened. But,” he sighed again. “that seems like too much. Perhaps I should just tell you.”  
  
Somewhere in his daze, Alec managed to nod. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but he liked the idea of being _told,_ whatever he was about to hear.  
  
Alec was worried. Eleven decades? Warlock? Spells? He was suddenly concerned that Magnus's eccentricity had bled into something more dangerous. Or maybe he'd done something, eaten some mushrooms off the path or something?  
  
Who knows, maybe Alec was the one who'd eaten mushrooms off the path. That was starting to seem increasingly likely at this point.  
  
Magnus looked Alec over appraisingly. “Mm, I suppose I have no choice now.” His sounded resigned, although Alec could also hear something else in his voice- fear? Nerves?  
  
“Yes Magnus” he croaked out. “Please, please tell me what's going on, because none of this is making sense.”  
  
Magnus immediately softened, reaching out to take Alec's hands. Alec flinched, just a little, and saw the flash of hurt in Magnus's eyes. But when Magnus went to pull his hands back, Alec reached forward and caught them, holding them between his own.  
  
Magnus smiled. “I know,” he whispered. “But hopefully it will soon.”  
  
At Alec's blank stare, Magnus's smile took on an edge of mischief. “I just have one question for you first.”  
  
Alec watched, still breathless and completely out of his league, as Magnus sauntered toward the tent.  
  
“What uh- what question?”  
  
Magnus turned back to Alec’s immobile figure, winking exaggeratedly before ducking into the tent.  
  
“How do you feel about dating older men?”  
  
\---  
  
  
**The fourth time Alec was suspicious** , Magnus gave him all of the answers (and a show).  
  
The fourth time, Alec also got drunk.  
  
“Older- older men?”  he spluttered, entering the tent behind Magnus. “What does that have- woah.”  
  
Alec shook his head. He'd- he'd walked into the tent, right? The one that he and Magnus had been using on and off for the last number of weeks?  
  
He was quite certain that he had. But while Alec's brain insisted that he had walked into that very same tent, his eyes were brazenly informing him otherwise.  
  
He was in Magnus's loft.  
  
Or, rather, something that _looked_ like Magnus's loft, but on the inside of a very enormous tent. He could still hear the woods outside, and the walls were still made out of that thin tarp.  
  
_What the hell?_  
  
Alec suddenly sympathized with Alice, from that old kid's book _Alice in Wonderland_.  
  
He was quite sure that he, too, had just fallen down the rabbit hole.  
  
And his white rabbit was standing across the room, back to Alec, pouring two glasses of- was that _whiskey? Seriously?_ \- with stiff but fluid movements.  
  
He turned to Alec, smiling brightly in the way he reserved for party-crashers and important clients, and offered out the drink. “Here, if you want it. Alcohol makes everything easier. Angel knows we'll both need something tonight.”  
  
Alec took the drink robotically. “Where- am I dreaming?”  
  
Magnus looked sheepish. “No Alexander, unfortunately you are not. Have a seat, and I'll explain… well, I suppose I'll explain everything” he said, remorsefully.  
  
Alec looked down at his drink and shrugged. Magnus was leaving the decision of his sobriety up to him, but. It did seem like he might need it. And what could alcohol possibly do now, now that his life already made less than zero sense?  
  
\---  
  
Apparently, it could do a lot.  
  
Twenty minutes later, he and Magnus were on Magnus's couch- or the replica couch, as Alec had come to think of it- on their fifth shot each with no sign of stopping. Alec hadn't asked Magnus anything since coming in, and Magnus hadn't offered anything up.  
  
They were at an impasse, and it seemed that the only way out was through. Through whiskey, apparently.  
  
Alec sighed and leaned back into the couch, reaching his arm up to rest it behind Magnus's shoulders. “I don't know what you put in this,” he said drearily, “but it did its job.”  
  
Magnus chuckled. “It's just whiskey. But-- Its job? What would that be?”  
  
Alec frowned. “To get me to forget about the secret, of course.”  
  
Magnus looked at him fondly. “Oh my dear, what will I do with you?”  
  
“Tell me the secret?” Alec suggested, a little petulantly. Who could blame him, he was drunk! And his boyfriend had magical toenails.  
  
“You have magical toenails,” he said. He wanted to make sure Magnus was aware of this simple truth of life.  
  
Magnus smiled. “Can I tell you a secret?” At Alec's enthusiastic nod, he leaned forward. “It's not just my toenails that are magical.”  
  
Alec's eyes widened. “No way” he breathed.  
  
Magnus nodded. “Way. In fact...” A small blue flame sparked to life in Magnus's palm. It sat there, shimmering but not smoking, resting a few inches off of his hand like a butterfly.  
  
Or at least, that was what drunk Alec _thought_ happened, because surely that doesn't happen in the real world.  
  
But hey, he was on mushrooms after all, wasn't he? So who knows.  
  
“Did you make me eat mushrooms?” Alec asked, sounding much more mopey than he'd intended. He was an adult man, dammit.  
  
An adult man on shrooms. In a tent-loft. With a magical dude- _his_ magical dude, thank you very much- who just so happened to now have blue fire in his palm.  
  
_In Peru_.  
  
Magnus raised an eyebrow at him, concerned. The flames in his palm went out. Or maybe the shrooms were just wearing off. “Are you okay, Alexander?”  
  
Alec tried to nod, but shook his head instead. Weird body, not doing what he wanted. “Mhm. That whiskey was good. And the last twenty minutes gave me lots of time to... think. N' stuff.”  
  
Magnus looked surprised, and then guilty, and then mildly horrified. “Oh no, you're completely drunk aren't you? How much did you have?”  
  
Alec frowned, reaching out to stop Magnus's head from where it was swivelling around to look for the (now empty) alcohol bottle, and pushed at the corners of his mouth. “No no, don't frown! It's okay that you're crazy and fed me shrooms, I still lov- like you. I still like you.” Alec quietly blessed his drunk brain for pulling him out of that potential disaster. How could he have ever doubted his ability to keep cool in a relationship? He was amazing at this.  
  
Magnus's look of concern just intensified. “Shit. What did I get you into?”  
  
Alec snorted, and dissolved into giggles. “You said shit! You never say shit. You say words like an old man, like _my love_ and _dastardly_ and- and- well I can't think of any more but you do say them. Why are you saying shit?”  
  
“Because I fear that I have let you get too drunk for this conversation, my sweet. Here, shall I fix you up?”  
  
Alec nodded enthusiastically, he stomach fluttering unexpectedly at the thought of being fixed. He wasn't sure what was going on with him, but he was certain it needed _fixing_.  
  
Magnus smiled gently. “Do you trust me?”  
  
“Duh,” was Alec's elegant answer.  
  
Magnus's lip quirked. “Okay, then hold still for a second, okay?”  
  
Alec nodded and sat rigidly, determined to do as he was told. Maybe after this Magnus would tell him the secret.  
  
Soon though, Alec felt wisps of something tugging at his clothes, and looked down at himself. “Wha-?”  
  
“Shh, it's okay, just hold still.”  
  
Alec focused on staying still as the feeling wound around him more intently. It was like a thousand little moth-wings were battering at him, whipping around his body in feathery streaks. It wasn't uncomfortable, or bad, just… different.  
  
What _was_ good was when the fog started to clear from Alec's head. “Oh.”  
  
Magnus stopped the hand motions he was making, blinking at Alec with an unreadable expression. “Oh indeed.”  
  
The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it emphasized Alec's growing concern. He felt much more clear-headed now, but he was still in this impossible loft-tent, and he was still pretty sure he'd seen those blue flames, even if he couldn't be certain.  
  
Catching him looking around, Magnus sighed. “Well, I couldn't bring you through a real portal, since you didn't know where we were going and might get lost in limbo,” he said, as if that explained anything. “So I just magicked my loft here.”  
  
Alec looked at him. “You- okay, Magnus, what is all of this about magic?”  
  
Magnus shrugged, suddenly vulnerable, and looked very much like he would rather be anywhere else, talking about anything else. “Do you still trust me?”  
  
The question came out heavier than Magnus seemed to intend it, and Alec considered it carefully. It was true they hadn’t been dating for very long, but Alec could already feel his answer, deeper and more certain than he’d expected. “Yes.”  
  
Magnus's shoulders seemed to slump a little, but whether in relief or exhaustion or both, Alec couldn't tell.  
  
“Okay, then can you- can you try to keep trusting me, while I explain something important to you? You'll probably have questions, but I'd rather you save them until the end.”  
  
Alec nodded, feeling suddenly reluctant to hear this. But he was in now, and when Alec was in, he was in.  
  
He took Magnus's hand, and Magnus looked at him, surprised.  
  
“I'm… I'm a warlock, Alec.”  
  
Alec stared at him. “A warlock?”  
  
Magnus stared at the ground. “Yes. A warlock. As in, magic, potions, spells, etcetera etcetera. It also means that I'm immortal.”  
  
Alec's stomach flipped, and he almost laughed, even though he didn't think it was funny. “Immortal?”  
  
“What happened to no questions?” Magnus asked, but there was no heat to it when he looked that timid. Alec realized that Magnus's hand was shaking under him, and he squeezed it.  
  
“Sorry. Just- what?”  
  
Magnus sighed. “There's so much that you don't know. I don't know where to start.”  
  
Alec considered. “How about at the beginning?”  
  
So Magnus did.  
  
\---  
  
After Magnus was done weaving his elaborate tale about Shadow worlds and Downworlders and magic and demons and angels, the two sat still on the couch, Alec in stunned silence, and Magnus in some kind of nervous ball of agitation.  
  
The sun had gone down while they were talking, and neither of them had eaten; Magnus had brought finger sandwiches over from _somewhere_ in the middle of their conversation (Alec hadn't asked), but they'd remained untouched.  
  
“So… it's a lot to take in.” Alec, as usual, stated the obvious.  
  
At least Magnus didn't seem to be doing too much better with his words. “Yeah”  
  
“Magnus, I-”  
  
Magnus put a hand on Alec’s chest. “No. It's okay if you want me to do the memory spell or if you just want to leave.” Magnus met his eye steadily. “But Alec, you have to know, if you choose to walk away now without the spell- which I refuse to do without your permission- then you can't tell _anyone_. Please. It's important, and not just to me.”  
  
Alec nodded slowly, understanding. From what Magnus had said, it seemed like a lot of lives, including but not nearly limited to Magnus's own, hung in the balance of keeping this whole world a secret.  
  
Wait- did he just think that? Did that mean he was actually believing all of this?  
  
In his defence, he was on shrooms. Or, had been. Well, he _hadn't_ been, actually, but that's not the point.  
  
It had been a _very_ long day.  
  
If Alec could find it in himself to believe-- even temporarily-- his Warlock sort-of-boyfriend, then who could blame him? It was, after all, somehow the easiest explanation at this point.  
  
“I won't tell anyone. I promise.”  
  
“Not even your siblings. Not anyone, Alec.”  
  
“I promise.” It would be hard to keep it from them, especially Izzy, but he could tell how important this was to Magnus. Besides, he really didn't like the sound of that memory spell-- he distinctly remembered Magnus calling it _risky_ , before. He wasn't really thrilled about that possibility.  
  
Whatever his reason for agreeing, though, he _would_ keep his word.  
  
Magnus looked visibly relieved. “Thank you. Now, I'm guessing, from what I do know about you, that you would rather not do the spell..?”  
  
Alec shook his head, and Magnus smiled a little, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes all of the way. “Okay, so I guess that means that I just have to get us back to Brooklyn, then. A portal would work for that, now that I could coach you... and then we can part ways, and as long as you keep your promise, you won't have to hear from me again.”  
  
Magnus was rambling, although fairly efficiently, concentrating on the ground and on the steady stream of his words as if trying to avoid thinking about something else.  
  
Or feeling something else.  
  
Probably the hurt that Alec could see behind his eyes, and sense in the way his posture was rigid. They may have only been dating for a little while now, but there was a reason that they went on this trip together. Alec felt pretty competent reading Magnus most times, and even though everything was different now, he didn't think that that part was.  
  
So at Magnus's formal sounding _“you won't have to hear from me again”_ Alec was taken aback. “What?”  
  
Magnus looked confused. “Well, of course I'd have to contact you again if you didn't keep it, to ensure everyone's safety. But outside of that, your privacy would be your own. I trust you to-”  
  
Alec cut him off. “No, Magnus. Are you- are you breaking up with me?”  
  
Magnus stiffened. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I mean, are you breaking up with me? That seems like a pretty straightforward question.”  
  
Magnus's voice faltered. “Well, aren't you- aren't you breaking up with _me_?”  
  
Ah. Suddenly it made sense.  
  
Alec reached forward steadily, gently pulling him into a tight hug. After a beat, Magnus reciprocated, forming around Alec's body like he belonged there.  
  
And then Magnus relaxed, just a little.  
  
Once his rigid posture had been compromised, Magnus was surprisingly deflated. He squeezed Alec tightly, burying his face in his shoulder, and Alec could’ve sworn that he heard a few shuddering breaths, like Magnus was shedding anxiety.  
  
His heart hurt. “I'm not breaking up with you," he whispered. "I wouldn’t.” 

Magnus actually seemed more distressed, at that. “I'm sorry,” he said, from within Alec's shoulder. Though Alec was pretty sure he wouldn't have even recognized the words had he not gotten so good at interpreting muffle-speak from years of putting his siblings to bed and hearing whispered goodnights through blankets and pillows.  
  
“For what? You’re allowed to be upset.”  
  
Magnus coughed as if trying to force something back. “No, I’m not,” he answered lightly, sitting up off of Alec a little. “Not when I just dropped this huge bomb on you, Alec. I just…”  
  
“Please, call me Alexander.” Alec pleaded.  
  
Magnus's chin tilted up, eyebrows raising. “What?”  
  
“Alexander. It's what you normally call me, and now you're calling me Alec... it makes me nervous.”  
  
Magnus looked confused for a second, and then mildly horrified. “Oh. No. Alec-Alexander. I'm not... I'm breaking up with you either, or anything of the sort. Not if you don't want to.”  
  
Alec shook his head, squeezing Magnus harder against his chest. “I don't.”  
  
“But things are going to be different now,” Magnus noted.  
  
Alec shook his head again, letting out a breath. Magnus may have had magical toenails, and strange British friends, and hundreds of years worth of secrets, but he was still Magnus.  
  
So Alec told him that.  
  
He was rewarded with a soft smile that made his heart leap into his chest. And that right there assured him that he’d made the right decision: Alec had always known that his boyfriend was magical-- that fluttery feeling in his stomach was proof enough of that-- he just hadn’t known how literal that really was until now.  
  
He couldn’t deny that they had a lot more to talk about. The idea of it all certainly freaked Alec out a little (he had been convinced he was on hallucinogenic fungi most of the morning, after all) but…  
  
Well, he was happy. Magnus made him happy.  
  
(And he wouldn’t give up that magic for anything). 

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me or hmu at wewalkadifferentpath.tumblr.com 
> 
> (Also, if you're wondering, it's dedicated to her because she was the first one to ever paint my toenails- and yes, it was gold with sparkles. It lasted a ridiculously, magically long time, and noticing that prompted me to write this story. To this day, my toenails just don't look right without gold).
> 
> *Edited June, 2018 to remove some crappy Magnus stereotypes I wrote as a young-un and make Alec's eager consent to drink more clear. Probably still have a ways to go with editing this mess but it's started.


End file.
